Phroom Print opens in Frome

Print Solutions

Futurform Ltd of Frome, best known in the print industry for its managed print solutions, has set up an in-house, short run digital print facility which will service its bespoke and corporate customers and Phroom Print, its new print shop.

The company turned to Ashgate for a package of print finishing equipment, including a Kasfold Sprint 3000 bookletmaker with Tr2 on line trimmer, a GMP Q-Topic laminator, an EBA 4860 guillotine and a Maxit RP adhesive coater. Futurform also purchased a Konica Minolta colour digital press and an Epson SureColor large format printer.

‘We will continue to operate the print management side of our business where we handle over £1 million of business nationwide each year but we saw an opportunity to capitalise on short run and large format digital printing by setting up our own operation where there is a need for quick, efficient turnaround. At the same time two weeks ago we opened Phroom Print, primarily to offer a comprehensive range of print to consumers and small businesses but also to compete against online players. We provide a full range of stationery, business cards, leaflets, flyers, brochures, poster and pop up exhibition displays which can be designed by our in house creative department,’ said director Darren Oliver. ‘It is an exciting new venture for us. We chose the name Phroom because it is already a known brand in our office supplies business.’

When it came to setting up the print finishing department, Darren knew exactly what he wanted. ‘We had a limited budget so I had to make the most of it by buying as much as we could for the money but it had to be the right equipment to finish short run, digital print,’ he explained.

‘First, I looked on line for a bookletmaker and came across the Kasfold bookletmaker from KAS with an on line trimmer. A compact, British made machine, it centre staples, folds and front edge trims in one pass and an handle a range of stock.’

Darren visited Ashgate’s showroom in Chalgrove to have a demonstration and soon realised that it could supply a laminator, guillotine and adhesive coater. ‘Ashgate’s equipment ticked all the boxes. It offered us an attractive package deal so we didn’t look at any other manufacturers or distributors,’ he added.

‘I particularly liked the GMP-Q-Topic laminator with its ability to foil, UV and spot laminate in gloss and matt without any special tools. Foils are over printable so you can create metallic finishes on images and text as well as producing high quality cards for wedding stationery, invitations, business cards and a range of other applications. It will allow us to tap into a new revenue stream and add value.’

The EBA 4860 fitted the bill being compact with a cutting length of 475 mm. It operates with touch pad programming, an electromechanical blade and clamping system and is fitted with the latest IR safeguards.

To finish triple business cards, Darren chose the Maxit RP adhesive coater which applies a very thin coating of hot melt adhesive. The RP version is the better option for mounting card to card or sheet to sheet, which need trimming or guillotining after adhesive coating. The machine will coat 30 cm in just four seconds.